Coraline Bowman, or Cora as her friends call her, was sitting in history class daydreaming of sword fights and magic spells, blissfully ignorant to what the future had in store for her.
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"The Blood King was the most ruthless king Thesonia has ever seen. He killed thousands, he took no prisoners, and he conquered everyone who stood in his way," Ms. McIntire said dramatically, pacing back and forth across the front of the classroom. "If our brave hero Galen Rivero didn't slay him, it's safe to say the he could have taken over all of Europe and possibly the world!"
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Cora found it hard to believe that just one man that lived thousands of years ago was capable of taking over all of Europe, much less the world. Cora always believed her history teachers had a tendency to stretch the truth, but none of her classmates seem to question it so neither would she.
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Cora's thoughts drifted off until the bell rang.
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She immediately jumped up out of her seat before any of her classmates had time to respond and bolted out the door.
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Finally, high school was over. She was free. It was a wonderful feeling she felt as she skipped through the halls waving her arms around like a lunatic, which caught a lot of stares from teachers scattered throughout the halls. Nothing could dampen her mood today.
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As she stepped outside she was welcomed by the rays of the sun smiling down on her.
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Shortly after, her father came to pick her up. She greeted him with a warm embrace like she always did, being carful not to crush his injured spine.
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"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! I never thought I'd see the day Coraline 'I'm too cool for school' Bowman actually finished high school," he teased.
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Cora was slightly annoyed but, in her mind nothing could ruin this day.
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In the backseat of the car she found cupcakes that spelled out "Congratulations Cora!" Undoubtedly her grandmother's doing.
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As was Thessionian tradition, today Cora was officially considered an adult. Cora's father brought her to the resting grounds, which are a Thessonian cemetery of sorts. Thanks to Thessoinian crystals, the bodies of loved ones can be preserved for several millennia.
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As Cora and her father entered the resting grounds, Cora spotted a familiar face.
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"Dimitri!" She squealed and ran up to the young man, nearly tackling him.
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"Cora!" he says with huge smile on his face. "Guess what I got today?" he asked, running his fingers through his tight, black curls.
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Cora placed a hand on her chin pondering his question.
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"This!" He pulled a sword out of his sheath.
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The sword truly is breathtaking. It's made of black steel and decorated with amethysts. It matched perfectly with his dark leather pants and belt and his dark purple trench coat he always wore.
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Cora couldn't help but be envious of her best friend. They had known each other for as long as she could remember. Their fathers were warriors in the same guild, they fought side by side until her father's injury. Their entire lives, Cora and Dimitri had wanted to be warriors just like them.
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"Do you like it?" Dimitri asked.
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"It's the most beautiful sword I've ever seen!"
She exclaimed.
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"Dimitri, lets go!" His twin sister Scarlet called out. Even in this heat her dark bronze skin and wavy hair look as flawless as ever.
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Cora and Dimitri split up and visited their respective relatives.
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Cora kneeled beside the lifeless bodies of her ancestors. She came from a long line of warriors on her fathers side.
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"I will make you proud." she whispered before leaving.
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She arrived at home to find her mother preparing dinner.
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"How was your last day of school?" Mother asked.
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"Same old." Cora responded. "I saw Dimitri at the resting grounds today and he had the coolest sword!"
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"Don't tell me you're still pursuing this warrior dream of yours," her mother interrupted not looking up from the counter.
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"As a matter of fact I am, Mom, I've been practicing all the time," the young girl argued
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"So did your father, and look where it got him!" Her mother exclaimed angrily.
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"Let the girl dream, Karen," her grandmother said looking up from her book.
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"I'm gonna go," Coraline said as she exited the room.
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Later that night, while the rest of her family was asleep, young Cora was about to do something that was going to alter the course of her life.
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My whole family were warriors, she thought to her self. If mom won't let me have my own sword I'm sure no one would mind if a I borrowed one. They're all dead anyways, she thought.
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She searched through her grandmother's study. She had never really been in here before.
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The room was so dark, it was nearly impossible to see anything. She felt along the wall for a light switch. As she felt near the fireplace she felt a small lever and out of pure curiosity she pulled it down.
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All of a sudden the fireplace, disappeared and a passage way opened up. All she could see way a red glowing light at the end of the passage.
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It's felt like she was in a trance, all she knew how to do was keep walking towards the light like a moth to a flame.
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When she reached the end she was shocked by what she saw.
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A boy not much older the her completely frozen in crystal just like the dead in the resting grounds, but instead of looking peaceful he looked like he was in anguish desperate to escape this prison. The boy had black hair, that went down to his knees. He wore a red cape the color of blood. His clothes were as black as his hair all except for one leg that appeared to be made of metal.
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The look in his red eyes made her shiver. "Who is he?" She asked herself. She didn't want to know.
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"I need to get out of here," she said to herself.
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Then as she turned towards the exit something glimmering caught her eye. The blade was black as night and the diamonds and rubies encrusted in it sparkled like the stars. No, it put the stars to shame. It was right within her grasp and she grabbed it.
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It was stuck. She pulled harder and harder again and again until it finally broke free.
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She took the sword and ran out of the passage, carefully shutting it after she left.
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What she didn't notice was that the crystal prison holding the young man began to crumble away.
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